Beijing: In reply to India’s Ambassador to China Gautam Bambawale made comments on the new developments at the faceoff site post-Dokhlam standoff, China on Monday reiterated that the country is rather looking forward to new engagements with ‘partner’ India post-Dokhlam standoff.
China said Doklam was part of its territory, but also stressed that Beijing was looking forward to new partnership developments in New Delhi, Hindu reports.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said that “Last year thanks to our concerted efforts, our diplomatic efforts, and wisdom we properly resolved this [Doklam] issue,” as a response to Gautam Bambawale’s interview with South China Morning Post.
She was referring to the comments made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who had said in his annual press conference on 8 March that both the countries leaders have agreed to “strategic vision” to solve the Dokhlam standoff.
She stated that India and China both had “every reason to be each other’s partners, “riding on “similar national conditions, development goals as well as common interests.”
“So we would like to work with India to enhance political trust and mutually beneficial cooperation under the guidance of two leaders to achieve the common development.”
Responding to Mr. Bambawale’s comments where he said China had changed the status quo, along with military standoff in Doklam area, Ms. Hua said: “China is committed to maintaining peace stability and tranquility there and Donglang [Doklam] belongs to China as we have historical conventions. So China’s activity there is within its sovereign rights. There is no such thing as changing the status quo.”
The Ambassador Bambawale in his interview had said there was no change at the “face-off site,” Dokhlam ever since the troops had disengaged after a 73-day standoff.
He said, “in Doklam area, which we call close proximity or sometimes the face-off site, the area where there was close confrontation or close proximity between Indian and Chinese military troops, that there is no change taking place today.”
Further adding that “Maybe, behind, the Chinese may be putting more military barracks to put in more soldiers, but that is well behind the sensitive area. Those are the things you’re free to do and we are also free to do, because you’re doing it inside your territory and we are doing it inside our territory.”
Amidst these speculations, official sources said both the countries are repairing their ties post-Dokhlam with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent telephonic call to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his election for a second term earlier this month is part of the “Xiamen process”.
“It would be correct to call the energetic efforts to re-rail ties between India and China as the ‘Xiamen process.’ After all it was on the sidelines of the Xiamen BRICS summit that Prime Minister Modi and President Xi decided to give a firm direction on re-building post-Doklam ties,” the sources noted.